Chapter 66
Am I going crazy?
Lying on the bench that hasn’t been destroyed yet in Gangneung city, I stared blankly at the sky and muttered.
“Ah. This is really frustrating.”
Yang Jun-tae’s death still lingers in my eyes. The moment his face fell backward… The sudden disappearance of life… The moment the information contained within him vanished… It’s still vivid. I can’t help but let out a hollow laugh.
“And then what? You said you’d let me know once the request was over?”
Killing the person who holds information about the research facility and then saying you’ll tell me later. Expecting me to believe that.
“Damn bastard.”
I cursed and tapped my forehead.
For the past few days, I’ve been with him, thinking he had become somewhat decent. But he’s still a bastard. Only thinks about his own interests and safety, faithfully following orders like a dog.
“Haaah…”
I was angry at Shin Hae-jun, but I was also angry at myself for not being able to give up even though I knew his intentions. I couldn’t stop. Right now, I’m just a desperate mercenary clinging to the information the military has.
So I couldn’t leave Shin Hae-jun’s side and had to wag my tail like a dog waiting for the information he offered. This is ridiculous, he’s the one being called a dog, but why do I have to become like that?
I abruptly sat up and rubbed my eyes with my palms, muttering,
“People researching the infection…”
I recalled the past when I was at the research facility. I didn’t know who they were, what purpose their research served, or what the results of the research should be. I didn’t know anything. So, even now, I still don’t know anything. There’s not even the slightest bit of information.
But.
“Those bastards didn’t just make the request for the infected to Gangneung.”
I continued my thoughts.
“They probably made the same demands in other areas too. The more research subjects, the better.”
So.
“Let’s find another area that received the request.”
While carrying out Shin Hae-jun’s request and going along with him, I’ll also look for those who had contact with the researchers. Then maybe I might learn something as well. What exactly is the research faciility doing, and where are they headed?
And,
“Where Woo-joo is.”
Sigh…
Closing my eyes tightly to organize my boiling emotions, I sighed once again before taking out my wallet from the inside pocket of my jacket. Then, I looked at the photo inside. It was a picture taken when I won the gold medal at the Olympics. Woo-joo was smiling proudly, holding my medal high, and I was hugging him tightly, also smiling. Woo-joo was looking straight ahead, and I was looking at him.
The end of my gaze was always Woo-joo. He was my one and only brother, my family, and the only one guiding me. He was the pillar that kept me from giving up on this life.
So,
“Nuna will….”
I muttered, clutching my wallet tightly.
“Definitely go find you.”
I couldn’t give up here.
🕂
As the refreshing breeze blew and the sun rose high in the sky, people began to gather in the bustling city center.
Some were mourning endlessly for their deceased family and friends, but most people harbored a sense of relief at having survived.
They survived today, and were fortunate not to have died.
Observing the expressions filled with such sentiments, albeit somewhat callous, perhaps understandably, I turned my head away. Then, I made the sign of the cross and paid respects to those who had passed away from this incident.
May they have gone to a better place.
……Anywhere would be better than here.
After finishing my prayer, I looked around. First, I needed to find Shin Hae-jun and assess the situation. And before long, I spotted him.
“So, does this mean your leader has been taken down? So what, you want me to go easy on you because your leader is down? I almost died myself, you know?”
He had lined up the revolutionary soldiers in two rows in front of him and was swearing at them, but his leg that had been broken yesterday seemed fine. No, that level of recovery was beyond just remarkable, wasn’t it?
I briefly considered approaching him but shook my head. Dealing with the revolutionary soldiers was the job of Shin Hae-jun, and I was just a mercenary carrying out his request. There was no need or reason for me to get involved there.
So I decisively turned my back on him. I passed through the crowd of people holding so many emotions and kept moving forward and forward. What lay ahead of me was a dense thicket. I had arrived at the shelter.
I knocked on the door with a tap. Even though the CCTV didn’t move, the door opened with a beep sound. It was a careless assumption that there were no infected inside at this time. I couldn’t do anything about it. I didn’t have the will or the strength.
Entering the shelter, I closed my eyes, taking in the scent of the foliage deeply. And I recalled Choi Daero, who had casually talked to me, his concern for Eunjin, and then suddenly… that appearance of him trying to bite and tear me apart.
It wasn’t unusual for bystanders to become infected. Over the years, I’ve killed countless bystanders. I killed priests, nuns, the neighbor lady, even the grandmother who shared snacks with Wooju. That’s not all—I even killed my fellow trainees I lived with. Killed, and killed, and killed again…..
But despite that, the feeling I had towards Eunjin was strange and new. Because I didn’t kill someone precious to me. I killed someone precious to someone precious to me. And he was a great person who brought new life into this world, even in this world.
Standing in front of Eunjin’s tent, I took a deep breath, raising and lowering my chest for a moment. Then, I unzipped the tent.
“Are you awake?”
Eunjin, who was lying blankly on the mat, quietly lifted her eyelids. She didn’t turn her head toward me, but I felt like she was looking at me.
“……Yeah, I’ve been up. For a while.”
Eunjin shifted her body, and I carefully sat down beside her.
“That……”
I took several deep breaths, gauging the atmosphere. I wasn’t sure how to put my words.
“I don’t know how to say it.”
“It’s okay.”
But her response was unexpected.
“Anyway, I had already given up. I thought this would happen since Daero was taken away. And then you came and I allowed myself a tiny bit of hope……”
Eunjin gave a bitter smile and turned her body to the side, looking up at me. Her swollen eyes looked so pitiful it made me feel sympathetic. Her reddened eyes looked towards me.
“So, it’s okay. Really okay.”
“……”
I knew that saying “it’s okay” was never really okay. But I also didn’t know what to say or how to say it. I just remained silent and quietly held Eunjin’s hand. I wanted to warm up her cold body temperature, even if just a little.
“Ahyeon.”
Then, Eunjin called my name.
“I’m curious.”
And she stared straight up at me.
“What were his last words?”
I slowly lowered my gaze. Last words—is there such a thing? From the moment one becomes an infectant, all reasoning disappears.
But the ‘last words’ Eunjin was asking about didn’t mean that. I recalled the words Daero said to me as soon as he saw me.
“Of course…She’s the only one I thought about to get through this…”
Anyway, what a hopeless bastard.
I chuckled and gently tucked Eunjin’s hair behind her ear.
“He said he was worried about you. And that he only thought of you.”
Eunjin’s expression changed subtly, and then she burst out laughing puhuh.
“Haha!”
She laughed for quite a while. She was definitely laughing, but tears were streaming down her eyes. The tears rolled down her cheeks and soaked the pillow. Eunjin was trying to compose herself through laughing and crying.
“Yeah…I should live well, as much as I was worried about it. Right?”
I nodded and wiped away her tears. Eunjin’s expression seemed a bit brighter than before.
Then, something caught my eye. It was a man’s wristwatch next to Eunjin’s pillow.
“What’s that?”
Eunjin said “Ah” in response.
“Ah, this. Daero’s belongings.”
Then she stroked the watch as if it was precious and said,
“General Shin Hae-jun brought it for me. He said he was sorry he couldn’t retrieve anything else.”
🕂
Thank you for reading! ♡
